Senior sports writer for The Age

Carlton is in negotiations with the AFL about making the MCG its main home ground for 2015 and beyond, with the club board having decided that it wants to play as many as eight of its 11 home games at the bigger stadium.

Carlton, which reluctantly signed on to play six home games at Etihad Stadium in 2004, is in the last year of that 10-year deal and will need to have a new arrangement bedded down soon, as clubs begin submitting their fixturing requests.

Carlton chief executive Greg Swann confirmed this week that the Blues were talking to the AFL about future home-game arrangements, in which the club wants seven or eight games at the MCG, and the remainder at Etihad Stadium.

''The board has decided to play more games at the MCG,''’ Swann said. ''We’re in negotiations with the AFL.''

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The Blues have long been on record that they would prefer to play more games at the MCG, though they have never pushed to play all of them at the larger stadium; while they would prefer an 8-3 MCG-Etihad split, seven games at the 'G and four at Etihad appears a better chance to win AFL backing. This would mean a shift of two home games from Docklands to the MCG.

But the question of how many games – and which teams – the Blues will play at each venue will be determined in their discussions with the AFL, which controls the fixture and has to give consent for the club to strike a deal with the Melbourne Cricket Club.

Swann acknowledged that the club’s wish for a greater MCG presence was in the hands of the AFL.

The MCC, whose chief executive Stephen Gough was formerly Carlton CEO, has informed the Blues that the AFL’s control of the fixture meant that the MCG ground manager could not reach an agreement with the Blues about playing more games there without the AFL’s sanctioning it. ''All fixturing is the domain of the AFL,'' Gough said of Carlton's negotiations.

Carlton’s MCG push is one of the defining issues facing incoming president Mark LoGiudice, who will take over from Stephen Kernahan in June. The length of the immiment new arrangements between the club and the MCG/Etihad is unclear.

Collingwood, as the anchor tenant at the MCG, has a special arrangement that gives many members access to the Ponsford Stand for away games, while Richmond, Hawthorn and Melbourne have separate but similar deals for each game, aside from the Demons having a unique arrangement with the MCC.

Carlton’s five home games at the MCG this season consist of the traditional big clashes with Collingwood (on Friday night) and Essendon, plus another major game against Hawthorn, Melbourne (which it lost) and Adelaide. Typically, Carlton’s home game against the Hawks has been held at Etihad in recent years, and this year the Carlton-Geelong clash is again at Etihad. These are the type of games, against Victorian clubs with strong teams and support, that the club wishes to play at the MCG.

While the Blues hope to increase their membership via more presence at the MCG, AFL figures obtained by Fairfax Media show that they surprisingly ranked fourth in the competition for 2013 in ''access memberships'' – members whose package buys entry to games – with 45,613, behind only Collingwood (68,955 access members), Hawthorn (63,353, counting Tasmania) and Richmond (52,488). Adelaide (44,436), West Coast (43,945), Essendon (42,614) and Geelong (41,148) are all marginally behind the Blues on that count. The figures include discounted three-game memberships, as well as the traditional 11-game package and AFL club support memberships.

Carlton’s perceived lower membership number – a political issue for the board – thus, has been partly due to the club’s lack of emphasis, or inability to sell, the concept of non match-day members, who do not attend games but make a financial contribution. Collingwood had more than 10,000 in this category last year, bringing in an estimated additional million dollars.

Carlton signed a contentious deal that saw it agree to a 10-year deal with the Docklands stadium during 2004, when then president Ian Collins was also chief executive of the venue and withdrew from the Carlton board’s deliberations, which were heavily influenced by the AFL’s wishes and the club’s then desperate financial position.

Carlton received an up-front payment of close to $2.5 million from the stadium but later joined the chorus of complaints about the stadium’s financial returns.

4 comments so far

let carlton move to vfl park we dont want them at our ground

Commenter

tiger

Location

port

Date and time

May 02, 2014, 10:52AM

tiger , VFL Park is now Hawk HQ. That Docklands / Ian Collins deal was smelly from the start. Carlton could go back to Princes Park though. Genuine home ground advantage like the Cats have at Kardinia Park.

Commenter

Daniel

Location

rural NSW

Date and time

May 02, 2014, 11:50AM

Tiger, Carlton want to play at Melbournes home Ground. Suggest you re read the article. They want to play home games at the G, not Punt Road. As a Tigers supporter you should know Punt road is their home ground, just as Visy Park is Carltons.

Commenter

Go Blues

Date and time

May 02, 2014, 4:17PM

Carlton should play games at Optus Oval (Princes Park). Against sides that don't draw a huge crowd, it would allow people who are on a lower income to go to the football.

I really miss the suburban grounds and its a tragedy that not one of them are used anymore. There would still be a place for them. I heard St.Kilda may move back to the Junction Oval. I hope they do & I hope they play games there. It would be great.The AFL should really look at an extra boutique stadium in Melbourne. There is still a place for them and it would bring back a bit of nostalgia & romance to football again. I think footy needs it these days. Great atmosphere and looks good for TV too. Everyones a winner.